04 Dec 2017

The Office of the Daniel L. Ritchie Endowed Chair in Gifted Education at the Morgridge College of Education is pleased to announce Dr. Marcia Gentry as recipient of the 2018 Palmarium Award, an annual award given to an individual who most exemplifies the vision of the Office of the Daniel L. Ritchie Endowed Chair in Gifted Education. The office seeks a future in which giftedness will be understood, embraced, and systemically nurtured. Recipients of the Palmarium Award demonstrate the vision through understanding of giftedness in the areas of:

Practice by impacting graduate education, pre-service, and P-12 community

Outreach through advocacy at a variety of levels (local, national, international)

“Through the generosity of the Considine Family Foundation, the Palmarium Award provides professional acknowledgment and tangible support to eminent leaders in the field of Gifted Education,” said Norma Hafenstein, the Daniel L. Ritchie Endowed Chair in Gifted Education. “We are pleased to recognize Marcia [Gentry] for her visionary work in understanding the needs of this population and advocating for gifted children traditionally unrecognized.”

Gentry is a Professor of Educational Studies and directs the Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue University. Her research interests include student attitudes toward school and the connection of these attitudes toward learning and motivation; the use of cluster-grouping and differentiation to meet the needs of students with gifts and talents while helping all students achieve at high levels; the use of non-traditional settings for talent development; the development and recognition of talent among underserved populations including students with diverse cultural backgrounds including Native American youth, and children who live in poverty. She actively participates in NAGC and AERA, frequently contributes to the gifted education literature, and regularly serves as a speaker and consultant. She was the 2014 recipient of the prestigious National Association for Gifted Children’s Distinguished Scholar Award and has received multiple grants worth several million dollars in support of her work with programming practices and underrepresented populations in gifted education.

Gentry will receive her award and present the lunchtime address at the 8th Annual Gifted Education Symposium and Conference, “Talented Voices: Diversity and Equity in Gifted Education” at the University of Denver on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. Please visit the conference link for registration and other conference details. For more information about this award, visit the conference webpage.